Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. ALGIERS, Algeria–African countries must accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to ride the global trade wars, the head of a continental body that advocates intra-African trade said on Thursday.
US President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs has led to upheavals in the global trade arena amid fears that it would kill multilateralism.
According to Wamkele Mene, AfCFTA Secretariat executive secretary, there is an urgent need to drive intra-African trade.
“The current global context, with its uncertainties and shifting trade patterns, reminds us that Africa must act with unity and urgency. To build resilience and safeguard our collective interests, we must accelerate implementation of the AfCFTA,” Mene said in his remarks during the opening of IATF2025 in Algiers, Algeria.
AfCFTA, the world’s largest trading bloc, is seen as Africa’s Marshal Plan with a potential to lift 50 million out of poverty by 2025, according to a World Bank report.
If fully implemented to harmonise investment and competition rules, the trade pact could boost regional incomes by as much as 9% to U$571 billion, the report said.According to Mene, the AfCFTA is already delivering.
Intra-African trade rebounded strongly in 2024, reaching US$220,3 billion, a 12,4% increase from 2023, according to Afreximbank’s African Trade Report 2025. “This recovery underscores growing confidence in Africa’s integration model under the AfCFTA,” Mene said.
He said data shows a gradual shift in the continent’s trade composition.
While primary commodities still dominate, there is a clear growth in machinery, motor vehicles, food products, chemicals, and electronics, Mene said.
“This shift signals our continent’s transition from raw commodity dependency toward industrial diversification, a shift that will only be sustained by stronger logistics and manufacturing value chains.”
He said the adoption of the eight protocols, as well as operating instruments such as rules of origin, the e-Certificate of Origin, the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System, Private Sector Engagement Strategy and the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund are the building blocks to laying the foundations of a single continental market. “The Digital Trade Protocol in particular opens new avenues for e-commerce, fintech, and ICT-enabled services. If harnessed fully, it can generate millions of jobs for Africa’s young people and ensure that the continent is not left behind in the global digital economy,” Mene said.
For More News And Analysis About Zimbabwe Follow Africa-Press
